The Perfect Tool for Training Kittens

Being a cat person, I have discovered a great upside to living with a family that includes a teenage girl: She brings home kittens.

Not all the time, thankfully. Once is enough. But the new family kitten (above) is fun to have around. Unfortunately, he just learned how to jump onto the table and the kitchen counter, which means it’s time to train him.

What’s that noise you make to discourage a naughty kitten?

“PSSSSHHHHHTTT!”

Something like that, right? Unfortunately, it’s not that effective. In fact, it’s useless until the cat associates that sound with consequences. For example, a quick squirt of water, which he hates. We were going to use a spray bottle. Or a clear plastic old-school squirt gun. But those leak and are notoriously inaccurate. Surely, I reasoned, with all the advances in modeling, injection molding, and plastic technology–someone is making a good water pistol?

Look out, naughty kittens of the world, because Nerf is stocking the playground armory with an amazing line of Super Soaker pistols. Super Soakers made a name for themselves in the 90’s by marketing giant water cannons that would change summertime yard battles forever. But the modern lineup includes fantastic tiny handheld pistols. The Nerf Super Soaker Zipfire Blaster fits in the palm of your hand, is durable, doesn’t drip or leak, delivers a deadly accurate burst to about 20 feet, and has a trigger response so fast you can shoot multiple squirts as fast as you can squeeze your finger.

They are so affordable that I ordered a 3-pack so one is always within reach. Now my authoritative “PSSSHHHT!” comes with authority. Pretty soon, I hope the cat will stop jumping onto the dining table and the kitchen counter to avoid ever getting shot.If Nerf invents a Super Soaker that gets the teenager to do her homework, we’ll order that, too. In the meantime, the Nerf Super Soaker Zipfire Blaster is perfect for training kittens.